


Whumptober 2020 - 24 - Under Duress (Part 1)

by Celticgal1041



Series: Whumptober 2020 [24]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Blindness, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27186070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celticgal1041/pseuds/Celticgal1041
Summary: The truth was, he was terrified right now, and the need to rescue Higgins was the only thing keeping him from completely freaking out.
Series: Whumptober 2020 [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949548
Comments: 7
Kudos: 42
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 2020 - 24 - Under Duress (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> This story will be told in 3 parts over days 24, 25 and 26.

“If you say anything to anyone, we’ll know, and she’ll die.”

The words echoed through his skull as he frantically tried to figure out what to do. He already knew he couldn’t pull this off without the other guys’ help, but he’d need a damn good explanation to secure their cooperation. As he drove, he turned over the information he’d been given in his head, trusting that he’d be able to traverse the route to La Mariana basically on auto-pilot as he’d done many times before.

Saito Enterprises occupied the top floors of one of newest office buildings downtown. As such, he expected their security would be state of the art, the building benefitting from everything being new and modern. Security cameras backed up onto secure servers; central control over things like the elevators and climate controls; and encrypted key cards needed to access secure areas. And that was just off the top of his head without having done any research or seeing the target. In reality, he expected things to be much, much worse.

He had no idea how the men holding Higgins had found out his identity, but apparently Robin’s patterning of the White Knight character after him gave him all the qualifications necessary to pull off the men’s plans. Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t been told what he was actually stealing by the leader of the gang, mister “just call me Smith,” but at least they’d given him a thumb drive that would supposedly make his job easier once he accessed the server room. _If_ he managed to breach the server room.

He slowed to make the turn into La Mariana’s parking lot, anxiety spiking in his chest as he realized he would need to find some way of persuading his friends to help him. As he pulled into a spot and turned off the engine, a voice in his ear reminded him, “Remember, we’re with you every step of the way. You tell anyone anything you shouldn’t, and your partner will be sent back to you in pieces.”

Magnum closed his eyes, drawing a steadying breath before he softly replied, “I know. You don’t have to keep reminding me.” Exiting the car, he slammed the door a little harder than necessary, cringing a moment later at what Juliet would say if she’d observed him. _Really, Magnum, that’s a three hundred and fifty-thousand-dollar car; no need to treat it like your father’s old chevy._ The thought briefly brought a smile to his face before he forced himself to refocus on his task.

Straightening his shoulders and back, he strode confidently inside, having already called ahead to have TC join them. Rick waved to him from in behind the bar when he entered, Calvin seated across from him nursing a coffee. Magnum pointed to a booth, indicating his friends should join him there.

“Hey, Tommy, what’s with all the cloak and dagger?” Rick asked as he sat down across from the investigator and next to TC.

Thomas winced at his friend’s choice of words, prompting serious expressions to appear on both men’s faces. “Okay, now you’re scaring me,” Wright added. “What’s going on?”

Magnum licked dry lips as he considered what he could and could not say, deciding to be as honest as he possibly could and trusting that his long relationship with his friends would lead to receiving the help he needed without a barrage of unanswerable questions. “I need your help,” he began.

“Anything you need, brother; you know that,” TC replied immediately, bringing a soft smile of gratitude to Magnum’s face.

“I hope you’re still saying that after you hear what I need,” he muttered softly. “Look, I need you to listen and not ask any questions. If I leave details out, it’s for a reason, but I can’t explain why. Okay?” His eyes pleaded with them, saying everything else that he couldn’t voice.

Both TC and Rick wore confused expressions, but to Magnum’s intense relief, they nodded in agreement. “Thanks,” the investigator huffed out. “I need to break into a building downtown and get access to a secure server room.”

TC leaned back in his seat while Rick’s eyes widened in surprise. “And you can’t tell us why,” Calvin stated, hoping to prompt their friend to share at least a little bit more, but Magnum shook his head in reply.

“Okay,” Wright began, stretching the word out as he considered his next words. “Let’s say, hypothetically, that we’re willing to help. What exactly would that entail?”

“I need to figure out a way to breach the building and the server room without anyone knowing I’ve been there,” Magnum explained, while his friends nodded. “And I need to do it before tomorrow morning.”

“That’s impossible,” Rick exclaimed, while TC crossed his arms with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Why tomorrow?” Calvin asked, knowing there had to be something important driving the former SEAL’s actions.

Magnum bit his lip as he considered his response, wondering exactly how long a leash he’d been given by the men holding Higgins. Deciding to take a risk, he said, “All I can say is that it’s a matter of life and death.” He winced a moment later as a voice shouted in his ear, warning him about the very thin line he was treading.

If his friends noticed his reaction, they wisely kept it to themselves and knew enough not to ask anything further. “Do you have a plan?” Rick asked.

“Not yet,” Thomas admitted, needing more information to develop one. “That’s part of the reason I need your help.”

“Alright, TM,” Calvin replied. “You’ve got it. Now tell us where you want us to start.”

Magnum let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping for a moment as he said, “Thank you.”

They spent another hour together, making calls and doing research online, before dividing up a list of tasks and agreeing to meet again later that night. With luck, they’d have everything they needed for their nighttime operation by the end of the day, and Higgins would be back enjoying breakfast at Robin’s Nest by the following morning.

* * *

“I can’t believe you went with government surplus,” TC hissed, making Magnum flinch when the words echoed inside his skull.

“Help now, argue later guys,” Thomas ordered, taking another hesitant step forward as his gloved hand trailed along the wall.

They’d managed to infiltrate the building, and thanks to Rick and his connections, Magnum had been able to access the server room with a fake, but working, access card. From there, he’d located the requisite server, plugged in the thumb drive he’d been given, which automatically triggered a program that did whatever the bad guys had wanted done. He’d been elated when the process was finished in under five minutes, at which point he just needed to make his way out of the sub-basement to the ground floor, where he’d exit the same way he’d entered. That’s when his bad luck had begun.

He’d run into a guard in the hallway outside the server room, and the man had managed to get off a call for help before Magnum could choke him out. That led to the deployment of several scary men in dark combat gear, who’d pursued him into the lower levels of the attached, underground parking garage. With too many men to handle in pursuit, he’d reached for the flashbangs Rick had insisted he carry, surprised to actually have a use for the stun grenades.

The first one he’d thrown had worked to disorient a trio of men closing in on him from one side, so Magnum had reached for the second grenade to toss at the men at his rear. He’d barely managed to release it before it exploded early, the chemicals searing his retinas and the skin around his eyes.

He’d flung himself backwards, barely retaining enough sense to roll beneath a car, hoping he wasn’t visible to the people searching for him. The burn was awful, and he barely managed to swallow his sounds of pain. He wanted nothing more than to rip off his gloves and feel the damaged skin on his face, but he knew that would only make things worse. Resolutely, he forced himself to keep his hands away and to keep his eyes closed, to protect his vision from any further damage.

Of course, now he was trapped in a parking garage, surrounded by men determined to catch him, and he couldn’t see a blessed thing. Oh, and then there were dueling voices screaming inside his head.

“We told you you’d be completely on your own for this,” Smith said into his left ear.

“Not you,” Magnum replied, wishing the resident bad guy would stay quiet for now.

“Not us, what?” Rick asked in confusion in Thomas’ other ear, leading the investigator to bite his lip again.

“Nothing,” Thomas answered. “Just…can you lead me out of here, or not?”

“Yeah, brother, we got you,” Rick soothed as he checked Magnum’s position against the overlay of the map he’d dug up. “Another five metres and there’s a door on your left. Go through that and walk down the hallway; TC will meet you at the end of it.”

Sighing softly, Magnum replied, “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Rick responded, unable to even imagine what it would be like to be somewhere unfamiliar, while being chased and unable to see.

Thomas followed the instructions he’d been given, nearly falling over when he suddenly encountered the gap in the wall where the door was inset. He couldn’t hear the men who’d been following him and hoped his luck held as he pulled open the door and slipped inside.

“We figured this is where you’d come out,” a cold voice greeted Magnum as the heavy metal door slid closed behind him.

Thomas cocked his head as he listened hard, trying to figure out how many people he was facing. He couldn’t be certain of course, but it sounded like a solitary man. “That was pretty smart of you to figure out,” Magnum replied as he raised his hands upwards in supplication. “Where are the rest of your guys?”

The man chuffed out a sound that might have been laughter as he came closer and began patting the investigator down for weapons. “They’re still looking for you in the parking garage,” he replied. “But I figured you’d make for the nearest exit after that flashbang exploded in your face, and it looks like I was right.” Magnum could feel a whisper of air moving in front of his face as the other man waved his hand back and forth. “You’re blind, aren’t you?”

Gritting his teeth, Thomas didn’t say a word, letting his silence speak for him. “Happened to a guy I knew in Afghanistan,” the man continued rambling as he pulled Magnum’s pistol and knife from their respective holders. “Looked just as bad as yours and hurt like a son of a bitch.”

The man’s voice seemed to drift away and a moment later Thomas felt hands on his lower leg. Jerking his knee upwards, he prayed his aim was true, rewarded a moment later with a cry of pain and the sound of someone falling to the ground. Unable to confirm that he’d disabled his opponent with his first blow, Magnum stumbled forward and basically fell onto the man as he tripped over his splayed legs.

Unable to see, Thomas fell hard, cracking the knee of one leg against the concrete floor, which sent a bolt of lightning up to his groin. Shifting his weight slightly to one side, he lifted himself up, his hands already scrabbling to locate his opponent’s face. The man beneath him helped with that when moments later, Magnum felt hands reaching for his throat. Instinctively, he brought both arms up and pushed outwards, breaking the man’s hold.

A blow to his cheek sent Thomas sprawling sideways and stole the brief advantage he’d held over the other man. His head spinning from a combination of the punch and his lack of vision, Magnum held one arm out in an effort to track his attacker. The other man chuckled, knowing he had the upper hand.

Shuffling sounds alerted Magnum that his opponent was standing up, and he quickly did the same, swaying when he was upright but unable to orient himself without his sight. “That was a pretty dirty move,” the other man said, and Thomas cocked his head at the nasally tone, suggesting he’d managed to break the man’s nose.

He wished his attacker would keep talking, the sound of his voice the best indicator Magnum currently had regarding his position. Unsteadily, he stood his ground, arms outstretched before him in an effort to stave off the man’s next attack. When it came, it was fast and fierce, Thomas letting out a near silent grunt as something pierced his side, Magnum having had just enough warning to move his arm downwards and deflect the strike from landing in the centre of his chest.

“TM, I’m waiting at the end of the hall,” Calvin informed him. “You close?”

Magnum clawed at the hand holding the blade in his side, unwilling to let his opponent pull it free and try again. When the knife started to slide free regardless of his hold, Thomas switched tactics and shoved against the hand holding the blade with all his remaining strength, twisting it at the last minute so it plunged into his attacker’s chest.

Magnum heard the soft oof of the man’s released breath and felt him drop away. Confused and in pain, he stumbled backwards a couple steps, momentarily falling against the wall at his back when he connected with it. “Thomas, where are you?” TC prodded again.

“Coming,” Magnum rasped, his chest heaving with exertion. Turning slightly so he could keep a hand on the wall, he set off, hoping he was moving in the right direction. His other hand pressed against his side, covering the stab wound.

Two minutes later, he felt hands grabbing his arms, and he flinched badly as he threw himself away from the hold. “Hey, TM, it’s just me,” Calvin soothed, feeling bad for having startled the injured man.

“Sorry,” Magnum gasped, shifting forward and allowing his friend’s hold. “Not being able to see has me kinda touchy.”

Though Thomas couldn’t see the movement, TC nodded at the understatement. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

“No hospital,” Smith droned in Magnum’s ear.

“No time for the hospital,” Thomas replied, doing his best to stagger along next to his friend as each step sent a flare of pain through his flank and bruised knee.

“Are you crazy?” Calvin hissed next to him. “You could be permanently blind if we wait.”

“There’s something else I need to do first,” Magnum stated stubbornly, stumbling a moment later when they exited the building, and he felt the brush of the night air against his sweaty skin. “You’ll need to drive me.”

“Our instructions were explicit; no one else was to be involved, and you’ve already pushed those limits about as far as we’ll allow,” Smith reminded him.

“Given I can’t exactly see right now, you have no choice,” Magnum countered in irritation and pain. “If you want whatever it is you sent me in for, then you’ll accept this adjustment to the plan.” Next to him, TC wore an expression of confusion, but remained silent while he led them back to where Rick was waiting in the Range Rover.

“Good God, Tommy; I’m so sorry,” Wright blurted out as soon as he laid eyes on the other man. Magnum cut him off with a curt wave of his hand, his attention currently focused on the voice in his ear.

“Text the address to my phone; we’ll be there within the hour,” Thomas said, his friends staring at him curiously.

Sensing his friends’ gazes on him, Magnum spoke quickly to curtail the numerous questions he knew they would have. “I told you before that there were questions I couldn’t answer; that hasn’t changed.”

“Okay, TM; we’ll follow your lead,” TC replied, the unspoken “for now” hanging in the air between them.

“Thanks,” Thomas muttered, pushing back the fatigue and pain that threatened to crush him. “I’ll be getting a text with an address and I need one of you to drive me there.” Unknown to him, the two men were trading knowing glances, agreeing without words that they’d both be coming along for the ride. “Also, do either of you have anything I can wrap my eyes with?” Magnum asked, his discomfort reaching a point where he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to avoid touching his face.

“Let’s get you inside, and I’ll see what I can do with the first aid kit,” Rick replied as he opened the rear-passenger door.

“While he’s doing that, I’ll drive,” Calvin proclaimed, waiting until Wright had a grip on Magnum’s arm before releasing his hold to climb into the driver’s seat. With anxiety growing in his chest, Thomas waited several seconds for the expected admonishment from Smith and sighed in relief with the receiver in his ear stayed silent.

Magnum practically melted into the soft leather seats, grateful to have even a few minutes to let his mind drift and not be in constant motion. He managed to pull his cellphone from his pocket, and it was immediately plucked from his hands; he leaned back and trusted that his friends had things well in hand, at least for the duration of their journey.

“It’ll take us about thirty minutes to get there,” TC said over his shoulder, and moments later Thomas felt the vehicle begin to move.

Some sounds of fabric against leather followed, before Rick pressed the cellphone into his hand and then said, “Alright, Tommy, let’s have a look at the damage that flashbang caused.”

Magnum offered a nod, already steeling himself for what he knew would be a painful experience. “Can you open your eyes for me?” Wright asked, and Thomas could hear the hesitation in his tone.

“Yeah,” Magnum huffed out, prising his lids open painfully against the grit that seemed to have adhered itself to his dark orbs. Tears sprang to his eyes at once, and he hoped Rick would be quick with whatever he was planning to do.

“Can you see anything at all? Shadows? Anything?” Rick asked, his tone hopeful.

“No,” Thomas gritted out as he let his eyes close, having them open having become too much too bear. He startled away when something unexpected touched his face.

“Sorry,” Wright hurriedly said. “Just some gauze so I can wipe away some of this dirt and stuff.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Magnum replied, berating himself silently for being so jittery. The truth was, he was terrified right now, and the need to rescue Higgins was the only thing keeping him from completely freaking out. He stiffened as the gauze returned to dab at is face, forcing himself not to flinch away.

“Not really much I can do for now,” Rick commented once he’d dried the moisture from Thomas’ face and dabbed at some of the deeper scratches that still oozed blood.

“That’s fine; just wrap them for now,” Thomas replied, hearing the underlying note of guilt in his friend’s voice. “Rick, it’s not your fault,” he added, wishing he could see the expression on the other man’s face. When he didn’t receive a response, he reached a hand out, managing to catch Wright’s wrist. “It’s not your fault,” he repeated slowly to emphasize every word.

“I bought surplus,” Rick countered.

“We had almost no time to pull this op together, and you did the best we could with the time we had,” Magnum interrupted the other man. When he still didn’t receive a reply, he tried a different tactic. “I have no idea what’s going to happen with my eyes, and I’ll probably freak out later, but right now I need you to help me finish this. I can’t do that if I’m worried about you feeling guilty about what was nothing more than a stupid accident. Understand?”

The silence lengthened between them until Rick finally replied. “Yeah, alright; I can postpone my guilt trip till later.”

Magnum offered a half-grin as he suggested, “Or maybe not at all?”

“Don’t push your luck,” Rick groused back at him, but Thomas could hear the smile in his voice. “Alright, I need your help wrapping your eyes. Here, hold these.”

Magnum obliged and held the two pads in place over his eyes, while Rick wrapped a length of gauze around his head to hold them in place. “How’s that feel?”

“Better,” Thomas replied, relieved to have something protecting his eyes from further damage.

“Good timing,” TC said from the front as he slowed down. “We’re here.”

Smith was apparently aware of their arrival as well. “Get out of the vehicle and make sure your friends stay behind. Someone will be meet you at the door.”

Magnum would have rolled his eyes if he wasn’t afraid how much it would hurt. Besides, it seemed a pointless action when the source of his irritation couldn’t even see him do it. “Have you forgotten I can’t see?” he asked tersely, frustration bleeding into his tone.

“You were told to come alone…” Smith began before Thomas interrupted him.

“And I tried, but I don’t really see much choice here, do you?” Magnum countered, losing his last bit of patience.

“Fine,” Smith bit out. “Have one of your friends point you in the right direction and start walking. One of my men will meet you and bring you the rest of the way.”

Fumbling for the door, Magnum opened it as he said, “I need one of you to point me in the right direction.”

Rick and TC had already slid out through their respective doors and come around to stand next to their friend. “You sure about this, TM?” Calvin asked uneasily. Normally, there was no one else he’d bet on when things went sideways, but the investigator’s lack of sight put him at a serious disadvantage.

“Yeah, TC; I’m sure,” Thomas replied with a grin.

Wordlessly, Rick and Calvin turned him slightly. “Roughly two hundred paces straight ahead,” Wright said.

“Be safe, brother,” TC added, a deep pit of fear forming inside his belly.

When he’d gotten far enough away, Rick asked, “We really gonna let him go?”

“Hell no,” Calvin replied. He turned to close the back passenger door but paused when something wet caught his eye, prompting him to step closer and place his hand on the dark leather. Lifting his fingers, he cursed as he turned his hand in Rick’s direction. “He’s bleeding!”

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to AZGirl for proofing; all remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> This section of the story was based on the day 24 prompt: You’re not making any sense: forced mutism / blindfolded / sensory deprivation
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you're so inclined!


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